Effect of dietary α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation on α-tocopherol distribution in raw turkey muscles and its effect on the storage stability of cooked turkey meat

Day-old turkey chicks (n = 99) were divided at random into three groups (n = 33) and fed diets containing 20 (E20), 300 (E300) and 600 (E600) mg all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate per kg feed per day for 21 weeks prior to slaughter. After slaughter, breasts and legs were removed and examined for alpha-tocopherol content. Breast muscle from birds fed the three diets was oven cooked, cooled, sliced and overwrapped. The oxidative and colour stability of the slices was examined. Mean alpha-tocopherol levels in turkey muscle were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the E300 and E600 groups compared to the control group fed the E20 diet. alpha-Tocopherol levels in the E300 and E600 groups showed that concentrations in leg muscle were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in breast muscle. alpha-Tocopherol levels in leg and breast muscles from birds fed E20 and E600 diets decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during 12 months of frozen (-20 degrees C) storage. TEARS numbers for breast slices from all three dietary groups, cooked both 24 hr after slaughter and following frozen (-20 degrees Cx11 months) storage, increased during refrigerated (4 degrees C) display for 10 days. TEARS numbers for slices produced from meat previously held in frozen storage increased more rapidly than those for meat cooked following slaughter. rn both cases, E300 and E600 diets significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed lipid oxidation compared to E20 samples. In general, Hunter a values for meat slices from turkeys fed the E300 and E600 diets were higher than those for meat slices from turkeys fed the E20 diet. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.